I wanted to make sure you heard about this: At the most recent Republican debate, the audience booed a gay service member who asked the candidates if they would try to undo the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” And during the debate not a single one of the Republican candidates stepped up to support him, or even so much as thanked him for his service — even though he is fighting for our country every single day.

No member of our armed forces should face that kind of disrespect. So when President Obama spoke at the Human Rights Campaign‘s annual dinner this past weekend, he called out the Republican candidates for failing to stand up for all of our men and women in uniform. Check it out:

We should be proud of the work we all did to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” pass hate crimes legislation, extend benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees, and more. And the organizing work we’re doing now for 2012 will help us protect what we’ve won and keep moving our nation forward towards equality. As the President put it, “every single American deserves to be treated equally in the eyes of the law and in the eyes of our society. It’s a pretty simple proposition.”

During his speech, he spoke of his commitment to repealing the Defense of Marriage Act, passing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and making our schools safe for every student — just a few examples of the progress he’s been working for since before the 2008 campaign. He also said we have to keep working to ensure our families and our country as a whole prosper — creating jobs, bringing economic security to the middle class, and ensuring everyone has access to an affordable education affect LGBT Americans just as much as everyone else and are our fights, too.

This movement we’re building can break through the gridlock and inaction. We’ve already proved that.

Watch some highlights from the speech here, then ask your friends who care about equality to watch, too, and join up:

http://my.barackobama.com/President-Obama-Dinner-Speech

There’s a lot more to do. It matters that you’re in for the fights ahead.

Thanks,

Jamie

Jamie Citron
Director, LGBT Vote
Obama for America

~ Recent Post

Congress: the Republican led House – the Senate back in Session on 10/11

10/07/2011 Nativegrl77

The Senate will reconvene at 2pmET on Tuesday, October 11, 2011

The Senate stands adjourned until 12:00pm on Friday, October 7, 2011 for a
pro-forma session only with no business conducted.

Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in morning business until 5:30pm with
Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.
Following morning business, the Senate will proceed to Executive Session to
consider Executive Calendar #250, Jane Margaret Triche-Milazzo, to be US
District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana with two minutes of debate
equally divided and controlled between Senators Leahy and Grassley.
At approximately 5:30pm, the Senate will conduct 3 roll call votes in
relation to the following:
- confirmation of Executive Calendar #250, Jane Margaret Triche-Milazzo, to be
  US District Judge for the E.D. of Louisiana,
- passage of S.1618, the Currency Exchange Rate Oversight Reform Act and
- motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to S.1660, the American
  Jobs Act.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CURRENT HOUSE FLOOR PROCEEDINGS

LEGISLATIVE DAY OF OCTOBER 7, 2011

112TH CONGRESS – FIRST SESSION

-The Speaker announced that the House do now adjourn pursuant to a previous special order. The next meeting is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on October 11, 2011.10:02:56 A.M.

-PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – The Chair led Members in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.10:02:51 A.M.

-The Speaker announced approval of the Journal. Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Journal stands approved.10:00:59 A.M.

-Today’s prayer was offered by Reverend Andrew Walton, Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church, Washington DC.10:00:36 A.M.

-The Speaker designated the Honorable Thomas J. Rooney to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.10:00:24 A.M.

-The House convened, starting a new legislative day.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

ABC tracked down Bank of America’s CEO …Michael Whitney, Change.org

10/06/2011 Nativegrl77

Tell Bank of America to drop its new $5 debit card fees

Whoa. ABC News heard that 135,000 Change.org members signed Molly Katchpole’s petition against Bank of America’s new $5 monthly fee to use a debit card. So the network tracked down CEO Brian Moynihan and forced him to respond to the petition. (Thanks, ABC News!)

The CEO was flustered and couldn’t give a coherent explanation — an embarrassing moment on national TV for the big bank (and the second night in a row that Molly’s petition was a featured story on the newscast).

Bank of America is feeling the pressure from Change.org members. As more people speak out, Bank of America will be forced to cancel its new fee — and other banks will be too scared to create their own new fees.

Add your name to Molly’s petition demanding Bank of America cancel its new $5 debit card fee.

While you’re signing, check out the amazing video from ABC News. It’s inspiring to see one person’s petition can make a bank CEO squirm on TV! Watch it here:

http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-bank-of-america-no-5-debit-card-fees

Thanks for being a change-maker,

– Michael and the Change.org team

P.S. Good news about Cristian Fernandez, the 12-year-old being tried as an adult that I emailed about a couple days ago. His judge pushed back the hearing for one month after more than 150,000 Change.org members demanded that he be tried as a juvenile.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Black is Beautiful …The Black Institute

10/06/2011 Nativegrl77

The historic 1940’s doll experiment showed that Black children overwhelmingly preferred white dolls to black dolls, and that this preference sprung from a feeling that the white dolls were good and pretty, while the black dolls were bad and ugly.

In 2005, 17-year-old film student, Kiri Davis, of Manhattan’s Urban Academy duplicated the doll experiment to see how much, if anything had changed regarding children’s perceptions when it comes to skin color and value.

Read our latest blog entry to find out how the Black image has changed and tell us what you think?

The Black Institute
http://www.theblackinstitute.org/

-=-=-
The Black Institute · 39 Broadway, Suite 1540, New York , NY 10006
-=-=-

~ my 2cents ...

thirsty Thursday &some News

10/06/2011 Nativegrl77

Just another rant …

All we are asking is for the millionaires and billionaires to pay their fare share !!! I Support Obama/Biden 2012 I’m in that 99% and that means i believe that 1 – 2% should pay their fare share.

My response to those trying to bring back and pollute the airwaves with the BS about
President Obama being “the other” geez, we are all “other” at
some point in our lives, get real please…

Typical doubter rhetoric but i respect your opinion… i may not agree with it but i will not call you names or think less of you. I will
admit to feeling you need some re-education, rehab and or exposed to reality. I don’t know you and ok so you voted for a RWNJ, that is your unfortunate act as
you do remember what happened afterwards right. Though before the Mid-term
elections your Speaker Boehner announced far and wide that Jobs Jobs Jobs is
was will be the focus of your Party and then promptly attacked women and their
right to choose, children, food safety, clean air, seniors, gays and the whole
immigration system. I accept that you voted for RWNJ freshman with absolutely
no qualifications to hold a seat in Congress let alone vote on issues that
affect all Americans because they do not care. This is a small group of extremists who have held the middle class hostage. They have shown themselves to be willing to
drive our economy and our Democracy into the abyss and now the byproduct is rearing its ugly head in all kinds of ways even though you said we are going
the wrong direction and the solutions are the Republican Party in 2012. That statement is disturbing on so many levels. However, i did vote for Obama 2008 and will again in 2012 because Republicans/Conservatives proved themselves to be useless what with all those votes in the House of Representatives against the People they say they
represent but have yet to listen to. Republicans are governing the House with little or no effort to admit that the American People not only have buyer’s
remorse they are for taxing the rich though Cantor has stated that will not happen and btw they have no one in charge, they have no solutions only
complaints all coming from Eric Cantor. The solutions they do have are only for the top 1%, that 1% has been getting breaks for a long time, and that trickle down
theory… how is that working for us. I personally am subscribing to what works and that is the Government right now though Republican Governors have been
laying off government workers to sabotage all efforts in my opinion. If, you were able to watch the original not what is now posted online: The cnbc’s the
House of Cards you would understand why Wall Street types, capitalists like bernie madoff and others like him engaged in creative accounting. Greed! In
addition, the excesses going on were impossible to regulate or more accurately, these folks flew their corruption like a freak flag. The people at AIG and
those around them created a monster and the pay out by AIG to various Banks was enormous which having worked its way overseas
became something too big to fail … Is that the kind of Capitalism you want? Capitalism does not mean firms
should engage in cooking the books, secret transactions and or becoming bigger than their sum value or investing in schemes … and Regulation does not have to
mean “job killer” though it is being used as a scare tactic in Congress.